Common Council Approves Adding Aquatic Center Referendum Question To April 2025 Election Ballot

After severe damage left the Platteville Family Aquatic Center pool inoperable in summer 2024, the City of Platteville Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Committee formed the Platteville Aquatic Recreation Sub-Committee (PARS) to assess Platteville’s aquatic needs. The committee is tasked with researching options, soliciting community input, assessing current resources and conditions, and presenting potential solutions that align with community feedback and practical considerations, including function, location, cost, funding, and timeline. 

To ensure that the pool project aligns with community wants and needs, the PARS conducted a survey to seek community input and to better understand residents’ top priorities for aquatic recreation. The survey was distributed in various ways: included as a flier in water bills, shared on social media, and displayed in popular local gathering places like coffee shops and stores.

Although the results of the community survey indicated strong support for an outdoor aquatic facility and a willingness to incur a tax increase for its construction, the City felt that the next step should be to hold an advisory referendum.  At the Tuesday, December 10 meeting, the Common Council approved by a unanimous vote to add the following referendum question to the ballot for the April 2025 election:

“Should the City of Platteville borrow up to $6.9 million for the construction of a replacement aquatic center?”

As the Platteville Aquatic Creation Subcommittee (PARS) has continued to work to develop a plan that meets the community’s needs and desires for aquatic recreation, a number of questions have arisen. Answers to these questions as well as additional information can be found at the website www.plattevillepoolsurvey.com.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS​​​​​​​

What caused the Platteville Family Aquatic Center (PFAC) to be unusable?
In October 2024, a geotechnical survey was conducted by Chosen Valley Testing (CVT) which attributed the failure of the existing structure to construction methods that were used during the 1992 project and possibly the failure to remove certain sections of the subsurface and replace them with the appropriate type of fill.

Pool Facts:
Age: The pool was constructed in 1996.

Leaks: Water usage data show increases starting in 2014. In the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023 all the grates were removed and broken pipes and cracks within the gutter and pool walls were repaired.

Pool Failure: In the spring of 2024, while City staff were filling the pool, the shallow portion of the pool settled over 2 inches overnight. The abrupt settlement broke pipes and caused major concrete fractures within the gutter grates, pool floors and walls.

Can the pool be repaired without complete replacement?
It is impractical to repair the pool with the current subsoil conditions. Through conversations with engineers and construction industry professionals, it was a consensus that any repair conducted that excludes additional work on the subsoil would have a high probability of future settlement and structural failure.

Why are we not considering a YMCA?
The committee evaluated the option of a YMCA but decided it wasn’t the best fit for Platteville’s specific needs. YMCA facilities are typically multi-purpose and may not meet the dedicated aquatic recreation and community gathering functions that a public pool provides. Additionally, establishing a YMCA involves unique funding and operational requirements that differ from those for a public aquatic center, making this option less viable for our goals.

Why is the committee not recommending an indoor pool?
The committee’s recommendation for an outdoor pool is based on multiple factors:

Community Preference: Survey responses show that 92% of respondents agree that Platteville needs an outdoor aquatic center.

Desired Features: Residents favored outdoor features like water slides (83%) and a zero-depth entrance (74%).

Cost: An indoor facility would cost significantly more than an outdoor pool and require year-round staffing and maintenance, which could place a financial burden on the community.

Existing Facilities: UW-Platteville already offers an indoor pool, which sees limited attendance in the summer and has struggled to attract lifeguards.

These factors make an outdoor pool a more feasible and community-aligned choice. 

Why not just build a splash pad?
A splash pad alone doesn’t fully meet the community’s aquatic needs. While splash pads are great for younger children, a full pool offers more diverse activities, such as lap swimming, water slides, and spaces for families to gather. Survey results indicated a preference for a broader range of features, which a splash pad alone would not provide.

What is the recommended location for the new pool and how did we decide on that location?
After careful evaluation, the recommended location for the new pool is the current site of the PFAC. The subcommittee assessed five other potential locations; however, the current site emerged as the best choice due to its central location, accessibility to parks and schools, and the reduced need for modifications compared to other sites. Other sites posed challenges such as elevation issues, parking limitations, and the loss of existing recreational spaces. Results of the Geotechnical survey conducted in October 2024 indicated that the current site would accommodate a new aquatic center.

How much is a new pool going to cost?
The cost for the new pool is still being estimated. Precise figures will be available as we proceed with planning and design.

What efforts are being made to reduce the cost of the new aquatic center?
PARS is committed to minimizing the tax impact of the new aquatic center. To achieve this, the committee has recommended several cost-saving initiatives, including:

Reuse some or all of the exterior portions of the bathhouse and mechanical building, saving an estimated $1-3 million.

Refurbish and reuse (if feasible) the existing waters slide for an estimated cost savings of $400,000;

Initiate design and concept work in early 2025, which could enable construction bidding to begin in 2025, realizing an estimated savings of $500,000 or more due to inflation.

How does the City plan to pay for a new outdoor aquatic center?
The city intends to use multiple funding sources to pay for a new aquatic center including grants, donations, fundraisers, and borrowing.

Why can’t the project be funded entirely through private donations and grants?
PARS has evaluated grant opportunities and fundraising options to minimize reliance on tax dollars. While the City will actively pursue all available grants, funding for projects like the aquatic center is limited, highly competitive, and not guaranteed. Community fundraising and private donations are also vital to the project but are unlikely to generate the significant amount needed to bridge the funding gap. As a result, a combination of funding sources, including tax support, is essential to move the project forward. Survey results indicate that the majority of community members support the use of tax funding for the new aquatic center.

How much would a new aquatic center raise taxes?
The City has received a report from Ehlers Public Finance Advisor estimating the tax impact of a twenty-year general obligation note of $6.9 million at a projected interest rate of 4.5%. 

According to the report, the annual tax impact on a home assessed at $300,000 would begin at $175 and decrease over the next nineteen years to $76, for an average annual tax impact of $120, or $10 per month.  Similarly, on a home assessed at $200,000, the annual tax impact would range from $117 to $50, for an average of $80, or $6.67 per month for twenty years.  On a home valued at $150,000 the average annual impact would be $60, or $5 per month for twenty years.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the median value of owner-occupied housing units in Platteville from 2019-2023 is $189,900, so the above figures for a home assessed at $200,000 would be close to the median tax impact for our community.